What Are Friends For?
by Tyr'll
Summary: What if Keitaro wasn't the only man staying at the Hinata dorm? How would everyone cope with a man even stranger than their manager? Btw, Not a self insert... And now it's time for Chapter 9
1. Outside Looking In

Night was just beginning to fall on Hinata Sou as the dull shine of the stars carelessly twinkled. Never had they done any harm to anyone as they watched the dramas and comedies that had a tendency to show up in the small town. Never before had they thought to intervene in the affairs of the human race that slowly pushed itself through its small period of existence. Some of these stars had been watching the Earth's plague-like infestation since the first human popped, yes mind you, popped into existence and would continue to be here until the humans popped back out.

It was for these reasons that on that night the stars noticed the drama that was quickly unfolding in that single small, insignificant town. It was for this reason that they were watching the desolate form of the Hinata House when the shadow of a stranger passed by the steps. Hesitant, unsure footsteps could be heard if someone were to listen hard enough.

Slowly climbing the steeps steps was a child, a mere teenager. Wrapped up in his jacket, the teen seemed to struggle with himself as he continued to trot up the steps. As he neared the upper steps, his eyes began to sweep across the soft sheen of the former inn.

He continued to fidget with something he had held in his hands, unseen by any casual onlooker as he hid it with the edges of his unzipped jacket. Slowly, deliberately, the teen approached the doorway of the majestic inn. Slowly reaching out his right hand, he placed his hand on the door that stood between him and freedom. The door that separated him from his dream.

Quickly withdrawing his hand, the boy thought to himself the reasons he might have to simply reach out and give the door a good whack and be done with it. It was nighttime, and the residents were likely to be asleep.

"There's no reason for anybody to be up," he thought to himself. "More than likely, if I knocked now, I could say that I tried and be done with it. Be done with this tired feeling."

"_But I would still have the pain_," he thought again. " I would still be worthless. I won't have improved my situation one bit. I should really learn to take my own advice and follow my own path. _I should really stand up for myself. Nobody else will._"

Looking at the door once again, the young teen cast his eyes down and sighed. A small, quiet sigh of disappointment. As he turned away from the door, a final thought crossed his mind.

"_It will still be here tomorrow…_"

With that, he turned down the steps for what had recently become a nightly routine of second-guessing and round trip exercise of trotting up and down the fleet of steps, never guessing that for once, he was wrong. Never guessing that for once, one of his assumptions was wrong.

Watching his every move was a lone pair of eyes. Carefully tracking his routine pace around the front porch, then his silent departure, all the while wondering. Wondering what in the world this boy could want. Wondering why he came, night after night. Why never during the day? Would he return tomorrow?

* * *

Happiness was so close yet so far by a young Keitaro's figuring. He hadn't been manager for long, his grandmother appointing him to the job of manager to Hinata Sou only a few months ago. So far, he had had little luck in befriending the rebellious young women that occupied the former inn.

Yes, former inn. After running low on business, Keitaro's grandmother decided to change the inn into a dorm for girls. While this seemed logical to Keitaro, the thing that worried him was why his grandmother had put him in such a compromising situation. _What had she been thinking?_

Lying with his back on his futon, Keitaro thought of all these things while trying to feign sleep in hopes that it would return to him. Unfortunately, the sandman had already made his rounds and was apparently going to refuse to make a single recall.

Sighing, Keitaro sat up.

"Why can't I just go back to sleep?" he thought. "Today, of all days, I have to have trouble sleeping. Why me?" Today was a holiday from school, and Keitaro had wanted to use that time for making up on lost sleep due to studying. Being a ronnin, Keitaro knew all about the unpleasantness of failure, and failing to get to sleep was really bothering him.

"Well," he though. "Now seems like a good time to check and see if Shinobu's up. If not, I can always help with breakfast." He sighed. Hopefully this would take his mind off the missed sleep. He was sure that the second he left his room; he would be giving up the rights to a peaceful day.

Slowly, he opened his door and peaked down both sides of the hallway. Noting, not without a feeling of relief, that the house was currently deserted. Closing his door behind him, he lightly treaded on the wooden flooring so as not to make a sound. This was important step in his staying on the good side of all the girls, and waking them when they were clearly asleep wasn't going to earn him any brownie points.

As he entered the kitchen, he began to smell food being fried, and listened to the sizzle that emitted from the frying pan.

"Well," thought Keitaro, "at least I know that Shinobu is cooking, and doing a good job of it too, by the smell of it."

He stood in the doorway of the kitchen as he though about whether he should help her out or not. He thought, and decided to leave her to her own way, he would probably just get in the way.

Finally deciding to get a head start on the day's chores, Keitaro turned and was faced by the dorm's pet hot springs turtle, Tama. Picking the small turtle off the floor, he asked her,

"Hey Tama-chan, how would you like to accompany me to the hot springs this fine morning? You can soak while I begin my cleaning."

The turtle replied with a quick, "Myah!"

"There is, however, a condition," continued Keitaro.

Tama eyed him carefully, as if to ask him what the condition was, then replied with a sigh like, "Myaah…"

Keitaro suddenly grinned. "No, Tama-chan, that wasn't what I meant. I only meant to request that you lend me an ear. I've had trouble sleeping lately, and I think I need someone to talk to. Plus…_you're not really my type_," he chuckled.

Tama brighten and quickly agreed to his terms and headed out to the hot springs. As he stopped by the tool shed to get his cleaning supplies, Keitaro wondered to himself.

"I know I'm forgetting something, but _what_?" he mused, sitting down next to a tree for a second. But only a second, as when he sat down, Tama quickly bit the tip of his ear in impatience. Not too hard, but hard enough for him to get back up and continue on to the hot springs.

"What am I forgetting?'" he continued musing as he walked to the hot springs. "Why does it seem important? Oh, well, I guess it can wait until later…"

_How was he to know that that decision would quickly change his life?

* * *

_

So how was that for a first chapter? I don't really want to give away any details too soon, because suspense keeps people reading! And without the readers, where would the authors be? _A perplexing question indeed…_

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the character in this fic, as of yet. Any OC's are mine though. I'll identify those later though.

Finally as note: I would ask you to review, if I thought it would make a difference, but I highly doubt it will. No, you'll review if you feel like it, and for no other reason. Oh, and I really don't mind flames. Really, sometimes people just need to vent, and plus most flames still have a very low quality advice somewhere, sometimes its just hard to find. But now a warning.

_Warning: Play with flames and you might get burned._

-B


	2. Another Day, Another Beating

Keitaro rushed into the hot springs. Normally he would have been a little more careful, but it was too early, wasn't it, for somebody to be up? Much too early for anybody to want to use the hot springs. So, he simply rushed through the changing room into the hot springs, missing a crucial point.

There, in the corner, folded neatly was a set of clothing that could only belong to one person.

_Motoko…

* * *

_

Slowly walking in the morning sunlight, a boy, about 15 from the looks of him, was thinking about the night before. He hadn't really gotten much sleep and he was tired. Not that this wasn't normal for him, but it's not like anybody noticed. He had nobody to notice.

He walked slowly; with each passing step he asked the same question.

"_Should I go again tonight?"_

He wasn't sure; he never really had had the necessary resolve to ask somebody for help. He had always relied on himself, and that was how he liked it…but what do you do when relying on yourself isn't enough? He wasn't sure.

Turmoil inside his mind, peaceful nature surrounding him, the troubled teen sighed.

"At least," he thought, "my problems haven't affected my surroundings yet."

He loved this path through the park. The wondrous sight of the oaks surrounding him, the wildlife that played without a care, the peaceful flowers that shined in the morning light, and best of all, the lake he had stopped at.

This beautiful lake was one of the last of its kind. The water was crystal clear and the fish that lived inside seemed to keep it that way. Free from pollutants, the lake had represented what he had always wanted. But to reach that state, he still had a long way to go.

Turning, he began to walk home feeling better than before. Feeling happier about himself. That is, until the peace was broken by a fall. A fall from the sky, a fall of such magnitude that it left a crater on the ground the approximate size of the small lake that was formed next to it.

Finally, as the dust settled, a pair of shadows was revealed to be sprawled in the center of the crater. A pair of shadows, that if you stared at them long enough, you might realize was actually two _humans _that had apparently run into a bit of a dilemma. And that dilemma a was…

_Surviva_l.

* * *

Twelve Minutes Earlier 

Laughing, Keitaro rushed into the hot springs, unaware of the danger. He was too busy enjoying the company that Tama gave. She didn't judge him. She didn't pressure him. And most importantly, she didn't _punish_ him. A true friend to spend time with. Also a very old friend. So old that, in fact, he couldn't even remember how long they had been friends. He had known Tama since he was very little.

Tama floated around his head as he practically skipped to the supply closet that he kept in the corner of the grounds occupied by the springs, to make them easier to clean. He entered the closet for a second only to reemerge from the room with a brush so he could begin work on the cleaning of the hot springs.

Tama plopped on his head for a second and let out a loud, "MYAH!"

"Now, now Tama" replied Keitaro, almost teasingly, "isn't it about time for your bath?"

Tama let her head bob as Keitaro gently lifted her off his head and placed her in the water. He let his eyes linger for a few seconds while she enjoyed the water, raising his gaze slightly as something caught his gaze.

"_Shit,"_ he thought.

"m-Motoko," he said, "I sw-… I mean I didn't mean to se-… I… _I'm sorry!_"

Motoko was the picture of evil. An aura of red surrounded him and as he watched, the aura only got larger at his protests.

"_Shit,"_ he thought again.

"**Urashima**…" she replied to his ramblings in a low, gravely voice. Her long ebony hair kept her face in shadow and denied him access to see her expression.

"_Shit,"_ he thought one last time as he dove for cover as Motoko reached for her sword, which years of martial arts had taught her to always keep close. The last thing on his mind was as she dove for her sword, she revealed herself fully to him. The foremost thing on his mind was instead avoiding the unavoidable pain that was to follow her reaching her sword.

"Motoko!" he cried out from a less than safe position of hiding, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to come here when you were here! I didn't know! I was only going to-"

"Enough of your lies, Urashima! You are like all other males I have met. You think only of your sick perverted desires. You came to peek at me and then you lie to me? You do not deserve to be the manager of this dormitory!"

"_Whaat,"_ he thought, _"What gives her the right to assume I came to peek at her? I will admit she is not bad looking, but her attitude leaves much to be desired. In fact, I don't think I would peek on her even if I were perverted! She doesn't deserve that kind of acknowledgement! What makes her think she is worth my time?"_

"Please…" he said, looking at her, examining her now visible face for any trace of mercy.

"Die Urashima," she said, her voice now dulled to a point of monotone. "You don't deserve to live."

_Boulder Cutting Blade_

The attack name rang out as the burst of Chi carried Keitaro up into the sky, far beyond what any normal human could continue watching without the aid of some kind of binoculars.

Immediately turning away from the sight of the man sent to his doom, Motoko slipped back into the water to finish her bath without any further interruptions.

* * *

"_Why…?"_ The question rang in Keitaro's head as he came to a slow in his ascent and began his descent. Why?

As his velocity increased, he stopped asking why and began thinking more violent thoughts. He didn't have to put up with this! He had the right to defend his honor, RIGHT? But even as the increased velocity fueled his anger, he knew that he could never hurt anyone, above all the Hinata girls. As much as he hated it, he supposed he would always have to rely on others to stand up for him.

This troubled him deeper than he cared to admit.

Suddenly something caught his eye. Down on the ground, directly in his current trajectory, was a teenage boy.

"_I'm going to hit him," _thought Keitaro sadly, _"and I think I'm going to kill him…"_

A grimace decorated his face as he neared his target. There was nothing he could do but pray. Pray that the child would forgive him when the time came. Then the moment came.

The impact caused a rather large crater to appear in the ground. As the smoke cleared, any onlooker would have seen two shadows lingering at the bottom of the hole. Slowly one of the shadows rose and checked its surroundings. Leaning over the other shadow, the now standing black blob touched its neck to find a pulse.

Slowly withdrawing its hand, the shadow reclined at the edge of the crater and waited. Before slipping into sleep, the shadow had only one thought.

_"This is one bad start for such a long day…"_

* * *

Time is of the essence, I am terrible at punctuality. I write when I feel like it and not a second before. I hoped you enjoyed the second chapter, but since I only got one review on my first one, I kind of feel discouraged. I would love it if you would write in the review column, but you don't have to if you don't want to. Reviewing only makes me update faster.

Just to clear something up, in my fic, Keitaro has had Tama since he first made his promise. How he got Tama I will leave to be answered later. Finally, to all of those wondering, no I don't have any definite pairings for Keitaro yet. I could always use some help though, since this is my first Fic. Thanks!

_A lesser man there never was, than the man who takes a gift, but never returns one._

-B


	3. Sleep Learning

I know I didn't do this in any of the other chapters, but I figured I should give credit where credit is due. I need to thank two people.

Thank you, **Sithex**, for your helpful suggestions and hilarious way of putting some of the characters in awkward situations.

I would also like to thank **Havenoname**, he has, to date, been the only one to review and is the one who really gives me the will to go on. He to has been giving me some help.

_Now, on with the show!_

* * *

Sunlight streamed through the clearing in the trees made by Keitaro's fall from the sky. As one victim of the cruel circumstance climbed out of the crater, all of his past mishaps began to catch up with him. He felt himself growing weak, and instead of trying to fight off the growing fatigue, he instead accepted it and embraced the growing darkness.

"_I guess I'll just rest here,"_ he thought, finding a soft spot on the grass. _"Maybe a good rest will..help ..me …better…"_

He was asleep the second his back toughed the grass. While he slept, all the scrapes, bruises, and other such injuries began to fade away. A short while later, the second victim awoke.

Yawning, Keitaro slowly got up and looked around. The scene was a familiar one, as he had had this kind of problem before. Reaching up, he knew the first thing to do was to check for injuries that might have lingered while he was waking up from unconsciousness. Surprisingly, there were none.

Usually after a fall from such a height would kill a normal person out right, but Keitaro was special. Apparently, he was immortal to all physical attacks. No amount of pummeling could keep him down, but even with this ability, falls such as these at least left a lingering pain on the fallen upon body parts, but today…nothing!

"_Cool,"_ thought Keitaro. _"Maybe my immortality leveled up!"_

Suddenly his head jerked upward from his prone position as he quickly struggled to get up._ "Wait," _he panicked, attempting to scramble ort of the crater. _"What happened to that kid?"_

Keitaro frantically looked over the lip of the crater. His chocolate brown eyes scanned the surrounding area, searching for any sign of what had happened to that kid. Finally, his eyes fell upon the prone figure of a fallen fifteen year old.

Keitaro quickly climbed the rest of the way out of the crater and jogged out to the teen. His untrained eyes scanned the motionless body, alert to any signs of life. He tensed as he heard somebody gasp, but quickly relaxed as he realized it came from the boy.

"_He's alive," _Keitaro though incredulously. _"I can't believe he survived that! And without a scratch!"_

Wondering why the boy continued to lie there, he spoke to himself.

"Well, at least you're alive…I'm thankful. You know, I've needed to get something off my chest for a while. Would you be willing to listen?" Keitaro asked tenaciously. "Of course you would," he added, almost laughing. "I know you're unconscious, but I guess I need a favor. Oh, that's rich, isn't it? My falling on you, knocking you out, then asking for a favor?" he laughed at the thought. Although Keitaro was talking to somebody, he really considered that he was just talking to himself, considering the somebody he was talking to was currently unconscious.

"Yeah," continued Keitaro, his laughter-dieing out to be replaced with a depressed tone of voice. "I know it sounds pathetic, but I really wouldn't be asking this if I didn't absolutely need it. I've been avoiding it as long as possible and…" Here Keitaro stopped, his voice wavered. Doubts of his own sanity began to overwhelm him. Here he was, opening his soul up in ways he never imagined to an unknown teenager. He was bearing his parts of soul that he had always tried to keep _hidden_ from others to an unconscious youth who didn't even know his name. _"Oh well,"_ he thought, _"might as well continue…"_

"Ok, here's the deal. I'm a third year ronnin, and I have my own reasons for wanting to go to Toudai. Anyway, my parents kicked my out because they were tired of my attempts to get in to such a prodigious school. I…I've never really had any friends, so my only option was to take up on an offer to go see my grandmother about her inn, Hinata. Sadly, my grandmother has an odd sense of humor and left before I arrived. She also left out a key part from her letter about the inn. See, its been almost fifteen years since I last visited the inn and…"

Here Keitaro faltered, but this time out of anger, not embarrassment. His eyes took on a colder quality, if only for a second. The change to his manner and the look in his eyes only came in a flash. The forbidden emotion was once again sealed away from Keitaro's conscious. His voice began again as it once had, only this time with a sharp edge.

"_Apparently _the inn went out of business and my grandmother had to change it into a dorm. A _girl's_ dorm. I was completely unaware of this, but they didn't care. I was and still am just a pervert to them. Anyway, after arriving, I was informed that I was expected to stay and become the manager of the dorm. The girls protested for a while, until it was explained that I was to take on the chores of the inn as well. They worked me, but eventually got over it and just decided to accept it. I still do all the work, but they treat me a little better, at least some of them do anyways."

"I've recently gotten to know the girls a little better, so I know why some of them act the way they do, for example, Kaolla Su, one of the younger girls, beats on me and tests occasionally deadly weapons out on me, but I learned that she comes from a different country and this behavior is normal for children there. In fact, she let on that she thought of me as an older brother, and actually likes me. She's really bright, so she scares me when she comes up with something, but she apparently does her best to tone it down."

"Any way, I still get beaten on by two girls named Motoko and Naru. They say its simply because I'm perverted that they do this, and frankly, I'm starting to believe them. Ok, what this all comes down to is this, I need help. I would greatly appreciate it if there was another male presence in the house to get along with. Your younger, so I think you would be accepted easier, and you survived that crash when I landed on you, (sorry by the way) so I think you might be the perfect candidate. So, although I feel a little silly having told this all to a man who can't even hear me, any questions?

"Just one," replied the youth, sitting up and giving the shocked Keitaro a smile, "when can I start?"

* * *

Having slowly entered the world of the living shortly after the beginning of Keitaro's story, the boy simply lied back and listened. This would work out for the better of everyone. Keitaro gets some help, and I get lodging in the Hinata house just like he wanted.

Sitting up and informing Keitaro that he accepted was also fun. Keitaro's face was priceless.

Happiness gripped him as the recovering Keitaro and his new helper made the final arrangements. There was only one thing left to do before they left to go to the inn, however.

"You know, I can't keep calling you 'you' anymore. I think I'm going to need your name."

The boy seemed troubled at this request and slowly rolled it around in his head before answering. "You, and anybody else who wishes to address me can call me…Shigawan."

"Ok, Shigawan it is. We need to hurry up and get back to the inn, while the girls probably won't be worrying, at least one of them is probably angry that I haven't returned yet. I still haven't finished the hot springs."

"Keitaro," Shigawan asked, "if the girls treat you so badly, couldn't you just leave somehow? I mean, there has to be a way for you to get out of this."

"Well, I've thought about it and have really decided that if the time came that I needed to move, I have a few places lined up to go to, but I really think they need me here now. You should have seen the place before I arrived."

"Fair enough," replied Shigawan. "Agreed, we should be going now."

And so the pair of new friends quickly made their way through the city of Hinata Sou to get back to the inn and its much feared wrath.

* * *

A single pair of eyes watched the new arrivals as they walked up the path to the old inn. The young girl they belonged to silently eeped as she realized that one of the new arrivals was the boy who had been visiting the house late at night. She knew she wasn't mistaken either.

The boy looked a little different in the light true, but the familiar jacket and his strange hazel eyes gave him away. His eyes, they were unique! So welcoming and at the same time so emotionless. The young girl sat thinking about the boys eyes until…

"What the-!" Naru's voice wafted up to the attic where the girl sat. Apparently she wasn't happy with another boy being around.

"Shit, be careful." Keitaro called out a little feebly. He sounded scared.

"Why you little punk, I otta-" Naru's voice was cut off as the young girl witnessed Naru fly a few feet out into the front yard and lie in a state of unconsciousness.

It looked like the new kid wasn't going to take any crap from her. The girl mused for a second and found that she didn't mind.

"New kid," Kaolla announced, "you and me are going to get along just fine."

* * *

The third chapter is done. It was pretty much a recap and an introduction to some of the characters. I figured this would have to be done sooner or later.

Oh, btw: I never added a Disclaimer so…

_I, Tyr'll, hereby disclaim all rights (not that I have any) to the Story of LOVE HINA. I do, however, want full rights to the character Shigawan. HE'S Mine._


	4. New Neighbors Part 1

I really like my story, and although I still don't have many reviews, I greatly appreciate the ones I do have. Thank you all who have reviewed. Now just a few words before I begin…

Havenoname, all this Naru bashing is healthy for her. I am attempting not to go overboard and ruin her life. I've seen too many fics like that and I want mine to be original.

Oh, and on a side note, the name Shigawan doesn't mean anything that I know of. I just needed a Japanese name so I put some random Hiragana (Japanese letters) together to find a cool name. If anybody finds out it, by some random circumstance, **does **mean something, please let me know.

_Now, on with the show!_

* * *

It was well past noon when the newly acquainted duo arrived at the Hinata dorm. The post-noon sun now shone in their eyes as they climbed the steep staircase leading to their destination. It was then that Keitaro, taking a deep breath, decided to give Shigawan a warning.

"Uhh, Shigawan…" he began, looking overly nervous. "About your new job…"

"Yes," Shigawan urged, a curious look overcoming his previously unemotional features.

"Well, um…you see…the girls at the inn, I mean dorm, are rather…temperamental. I've been having some problems myself, you see and-"

"What kind of problems?"

"Well, I kinda do something and that something goes wrong and I do something to fix it and that action gets misinterpreted as-"

"They accuse you of molesting them or something?" he interrupted.

Keitaro nodded his head.

"Do you?"

"Of course not!" he replied in a hurt tone of voice.

Shigawan shrugged. "Then where's the problem?"

Keitaro looked at the ground as he leaned up against a tree. He sighed. "They don't believe me."

"So what, you're the manager, right?"

Keitaro nodded.

"Then I ask again, where's the problem?"

Keitaro took a deep breath and let out what he had meant to say the entire time. "The girls will take it upon themselves to punish you if they find you in any compromising situation. They don't want us here; you're probably only going to end up staying because I said you will. I just wanted to warn you about them, they all can be kind, but they are always unmerciful in their punishments."

"What are their punishments like?" Shigawan asked in an airy tone of voice.

"I'm warning you not to take it lightly. Do you remember my falling on you from a drop of, like, fifty thousand yards?"

"Of course, what did you think I had forgotten that already? I may be slow, but I'm not that slow."

"No, I didn't mean it like that!" Keitaro whined, waving his hands in front of his face. "I was only trying to point out that that was done by one of the more dangerous tenets."

"What, did she push you out of an airplane?" Shigawan asked with a small smile forming on his face.

"No, she hit me."

"Really, now that is interesting, but not unduly bothering."

"Wha-" Keitaro started before Shigawan cut him off.

"All in good time. Now, don't we have some tidying up to do while I get myself acquainted with my new neighbors?"

Keitaro nodded in agreement, so they turned and faced the majestic form of the Hinata Sou. The old inn towered over them as they approached it. Shigawan felt a tug at his stomach as he saw the inn. He was impressed and wondered what lie in store for him for the future. He found out rather quickly.

A red haired girl that looked at least eighteen stood in the doorway, her foot tapping. She looked decidedly unhappy about something. When she spotted Keitaro, her eye began to twitch in annoyance. She frowned at Shigawan, who frowned right back.

First impressions are important when meeting someone for the first time. This girl had just screwed hers up. Her first impression would be a bad one.

"Keitaro," she started in a falsely sweet voice, "I wanted to take a dip in the hot springs, and guess what?"

"…oh no," was all Keitaro could muster, his eyes getting wide.

"The water is green, the floor is nasty…_why_ haven't you _cleaned_ it yet? Are you shirking your responsibilities **again**!"

"Actually, he was busy helping me with something. I hope I didn't detain him for too long…" Shigawan intervened quickly.

The girl spun around from Keitaro to Shigawan. She eyed him up and down, noting his appearance, her eyes only lingering on his strange looking jacket and his hazel eyes. She nodded and replied, "Keitaro should know to put the needs of the inn before anything else. Why he was helping you, I don't really know or care but-"

"Naru…" started Keitaro.

"Shut up," Naru snapped. "As I was saying, I don't know why he was helping you, but as you must know, this is a girls dorm, and since you're younger than me, I'll let you off with a warning. We don't like men here."

"As for you," Naru continued, turning back to Keitaro, "you should be punished for your lax attitude." She drew her fist back and brought it back with blinding speed.

Naru Punch 

Her fist connected, but not with Keitaro. It connected with something hard.

"What the-" she cried, rubbing her hand and opening her eyes from their instinctively closed position. She gasped at the scene. In front of her stood that boy, Shigawan, shielding a shocked Keitaro. In his hands he held a steel mallet. It looked rather heavy, and it was hard as rock, as she had already confirmed.

Keitaro stood up from his fallen down position, brushing himself off and reprimanding the teen. "Shit," he said in a feeble voice, "be careful."

Shigawan merely shrugged, glaring at Naru. "You really don't want to do that, unless you _want _to be seriously hurt, as such I can help you," he said softly in a low voice. "It would be my pleasure."

"Why you little punk!" Naru said, pulling her fist back once again. "I otta-"

She never finished that sentence. Before she could bring her fist forward, Shigawan disappeared, reappearing behind her. He lightly tapped the back of her head his mallet, then heaved her into the grass in the front yard. He turned away with an uncaring appearance, walking over to Keitaro once again.

"Umm, thanks…"Keitaro managed to get out. This was the first time anybody had lifted a finger to help him like this.

"No problem, so where's my room?"

Keitaro nodded and lead Shigawan upstairs.

* * *

Although Shinobu had gotten up a little early to cook breakfast, she still put to use two rules that she had made herself for cooking morning meals. One was to be sure to cook plenty of extra food, Kaolla ate so much that if you only cooked enough for each person, she would be the only one to eat.

Her second rule was to remember to keep at least some of that meal in a heated position in the oven. Due to Keitaro's almost routine morning accidents, he was often late to breakfast. By utilizing these two rules, Shinobu was able to make mealtimes work. Today was no exception.

After cleaning up the previously used plates (leaving out a set for Keitaro, as the residents had been informed by a rather biased Motoko about his whereabouts) the curiously blue haired cooking wonder went to begin the laundry. She was beginning to hang some clothes up to dry when she heard a commotion out in the front yard. Rushing over to get a good vantage point from the roof, she arrived too late to see what it was all about. She had overlooked Naru's still body in the grass.

Wondering what in the world had happened; she puzzled about it until she heard somebody coming up the steps to the roof, sounding rather close by.

Starting, she realized that one of the voices was that of her beloved sempai, Keitaro. Shinobu looked up to Keitaro in every way. She was probably the nicest girl in the dorms, as the never hurt him in any way. In fact, it was believed that she had a crush on him.

While she blushed at Keitaro's voice, she was surprised to realize that she couldn't recognize the second voice. In fact, it sounded like another _man_ was in the dorm. Was that even possible?

Apparently that was proven to be true, as it was then they came into sight on the stairs. When they reached the top, Keitaro tripped on the top step and began to stumble forward towards Shinobu with his arms waving about in a futile effort to regain balance.

Shinobu closed her eyes, realizing what would happen next. Keitaro would stumble into the drying laundry, and when he got up he would be, in some way shape or form, touching a pair of one of the girls unmentionables. It happened without fail.

She took a step back, waiting for the inevitable crash.

_It didn't come_.

Shinobu slowly opened her eyes to find herself staring straight into the eyes of that strange man. She was enticed by his eyes. They seemed to draw her in, to read her soul then to release her. She tore her gaze away to see what had happened to Keitaro.

He was being helped to regain his balance by that man. That man was _helping_ Keitaro. Maybe Keitaro had finally found a friend. She had to find out.

"Excuse me, erm, S-sempai? Who is this?" She stammered quickly.

"Oh, him? Shinobu, I'd like you to meet Shigawan. Shigawan, meet our resident angel of the kitchen, Shinobu."

While Shinobu blushed at the praise, Shigawan faced her and bowed. She had made a very good impression. "Good morning Shinobu. I hope to sample your cooking very soon," was his gentle reply.

"Shigawan is going to be staying with us for a while, to help me around the dorm," Keitaro said cheerfully.

_Wait, staying? _"What about Naru and Motoko? Don't you think they will try to stop this?" Shinobu asked uncertainly.

"Naru," interrupted Shigawan, "had a few minor disagreements, but we sorted them out. I am looking forward to negotiating with Motoko as well. I've heard so much about her."

"Yes, well, Shinobu, Keitaro's room is going to be between yours and Kaolla's. And I hate to ask, but I gotta run. The hot springs are still in need of being cleaned. Could you show him the ropes while I sort that out?"

"Wait, don't you need any help?" asked Shigawan.

"Naw," Keitaro smiled. "Just get yourself acquainted with the tenants. This is your fist day here so you should do some exploring of your own after Shinobu shows you around. So how about it, Shinobu?"

"Of course, Sempai! I would be happy to show him around."

Keitaro shook both their hands one last time before almost taking a nosedive down the stairs. Luckily he was caught once again by Shigawan.

"_Good job Keitaro,"_ thought Shinobu, _"You found yourself a good friend. You certainly needed one."_

"So," Shigawan said turning as finished helping Keitaro up, "Where to first?"

* * *

Sorry it took so long for this chapter, but as I said before, I write when I feel like it and not a second before. If I force out the material, the story turns into shit. Thanks for reading this story; I hope you look forward to the next chapter!

_I dream of one day making my dreams a reality,_

_But for now, I enjoy just dreaming about that reality._

-B


	5. New Neighbors Part 2

_A note from the desk of Tyr'll…_

No I'm not dead yet, just have a lot of stress with my parents threatening to take away my internet card…

Watch it, I feel good. I hope this directly influences my story chapter. I really appreciate the reviews; I needed them to continue the story. I really don't ask for much, just a few words of encouragement and a hint or two on what I should do.

By the way, this is not a self-insertion fic. I'll admit, it started that way, but Shigawan's persona suddenly decided to leave its path and take on a different form. He's now his own man. He's totally free of my strange thoughts.

And however strong he looks now, he just looks that way. I mean, taking a seasoned martial artist and pitting him against a girl who attacks out of raw fury, what did you expect? Trust me, Motoko's battle will be more interesting…

_Now on with the show!_

* * *

Motoko was strolling around the dorm for some fresh air. Training was difficult when sparring partners were sparse. All she could do was work on her physical strength and stamina. She needed interaction to work any further on either her battle stances or her reflexes.

She sighed against the wind. Her ebony hair trailed behind her as she walked at a slower pace, beginning to appreciate the beauty of the woods around her. The sounds of the wildlife moving about in search of food to fill their autumn stocks were evident to her.

Her katana was strapped loosely at her side and frequently rubbed against her legs as she walked. It served as a constant reminder of who she was. As the heir to her clan's training dojo, she was required to return one day to receive it and to serve as a master teacher. She wished that it wasn't her calling to be whisked away at a moments notice, but because of her older sister's marriage, she was the only one who could take the job.

Perhaps this is why she despises males so. Because of her sister's husband, she is unable to choose her own life style. She is unable to escape the fate that she so despises, yet must respect due to its deserving of respect.

"_Can I truly have misinterpreted my feelings?"_ wondered Motoko. _"Maybe I have indeed wronged all of the men I have shunned, such as Urashima…feh! What am I thinking! They all deserved what they got, **especially** Urashima! They are all foul and perverted beasts. They are unhonorable and cannot be trusted."_

It was as she came upon this little breakthrough that she happened to walk into full view of the front lawn.

Surveying the scene, slightly disinterested, her eyes fell upon the motionless body of Naru. Her eyes widened. Motoko reacted instantly, bolting over to the inert girl as fast as possible, the sound of her shoes pounding against the pavement being the only sound now being made.

When Motoko reached Naru, she fell to her knees, the impact against the pavement causing her to wince, but not to shirk from her self appointed task. She had to find out what had happened.

From her position next to Naru, Motoko began to check her vitals, noting that all her essentials were operating to their fullest. She sighed in relief.

Motoko knew that too much nonessential movement when unconscious and recovering from an accident wasn't good for you, so she made herself comfortable and sat in a meditive position. She took a deep breath.

She was curious about what had befallen the red haired girl, but brushed it off thinking instead of the need to ward off any men who might attempt to take advantage of Naru in her state of helplessness. Especially Urashima…

* * *

Shigawan's stomach rumbled. His face subconsciously grimaced. Looking at the blue haired girl that trotted beside him, he wondered."Didn't Keitaro say she was a cook?" he mused. "God, I'm hungry, it feels as if my stomach is digesting itself!"  
Shigawan had already visited his room and the living room. He wanted, no NEEDED, the kitchen to be next. 

"Shinobu? Could we, umm, go to the kitchen next? I'm starved!"

"Really?" she responded, giggling at the face he made to show his immediate need of food. "When was the last time you ate?"

"Actually," he revealed, "I've been a little low on cash lately, so I haven't eaten for a few days…"

"WHAT!" she cried, shocked. She grabbed his hand and dragged him across the entire building to reach the kitchen. "Here. Sit here!" She stopped next to the table, leaving him to rush to heat up some of the wrapped food that she had prepared earlier for Keitaro. She was sure he would understand.

Waiting out at the table, Shigawan rested his head and clutched his stomach. Why didn't he feel hungry until just now? Whatever, he dismissed the wonderment when another wave of hunger hit him, causing him to groan loudly.

Apparently, the sound of the groan reached one of the tenets very sensitive ears. Tossing her light blond hair, Kaolla bounced into the kitchen to witness a sight that almost made her laugh. Shigawan's face was contorted in a way that was almost unrecognizable.

Kaolla plopped into the seat directly across from Shigawan and placed her head on her hands. When Shigawan finally opened his eyes, he found himself staring into a pair of bright green eyes. They stared back.

He was about to say something when Shinobu rushed over with the food and placed a huge meal in front of him. He cheered.

"Thank you sooo much Shinobu!" he cried before launching himself into the feast. Just watching him made Kaolla hungry, but then she was always hungry…

Kaolla reached out for one of the bowls, only to find that Shigawan had already pushed some of the food in her direction. She gave him a dazzling smile then dug in herself.

They still hadn't said a word to each other…

* * *

Back in the front yard, Naru's eyes flickered. Motoko heard her moan and was instantly out of her meditive position and at her side. Placing her hand on Naru's shoulder, Motoko helped the recently awakened girl up. Naru winced at the motion.

"Are you hurt Naru?" Motoko asked, concerned for her friends health.

"Jeez, my head…What happened?" she scratched the back of her head in an attempt to remember.

"I am unsure," Motoko started. "When I arrived here for my morning walk, I found you lying in the grass. A bruising on the back of your head seems to point towards having your head beaten by a sturdy circular blunt weapon. Maybe a hammer-"

"What? Did you say hammer?" asked Naru, freaking out.

"Ummm, that's what it points to…"

"I remember now!" Here her eyes darkened. "This is all Keitaro's fault for bringing him here."

"Bringing who here?" her voice rose slightly at the mention of Keitaro's name and the implication of another man being nearby. Who knows what acts of perversion Keitaro could pull with an accomplice!

"You mean, he hasn't told you?"

"No, I have not seen Urashima today, with the exception of the incident in the hot springs this morning…" her faced reddened slightly remembering that particular part of the day.

"Well, apparently he has brought another man here for help with his perverted means. When I attempted to give Keitaro his just desserts, the boy stepped up and hit me when I wasn't looking."

"Boy?" inquired Motoko.

"Yeah, the kid was about Kaolla and Shinobu's age. Spiked black hair, large coat, you can't miss him!"

"Hmm, strange. I have not yet met such a youth, or felt any significant power in the building…"

"He doesn't need power, he hit me when I wasn't looking with that mallet of his!"

"I suppose…well, this does not matter. What matters is that at the moment our peace is at stake. With more than one **man **here, who knows what acts of perversion Keitaro could pull!" Motoko spat the word man out as if it were a curse, a very nasty curse.

Motoko stood, grasping Naru's hand in her own. Naru winced at the quick change in position and almost fell, although Motoko caught her. Leaning back into Motoko's embrace, Naru cleared her spinning senses.

Concentrating, Naru broke away from Motoko and began her short walk into the inn. Whenever Motoko tried to help, Naru simply waved her off. She needed to do this herself. Her pride was at stake.

"_I will not be beaten by that little upstart,"_ Naru thought to herself, _"I **will** teach him a lesson…"_

Each step was in agony; she seemed to be taking much too long to make it to the close-by inn. Her feet dragged along the path to the door, causing her shoes to become dusty.

"_This is ridiculous!" She thought_, _"How can I be having this much of a problem after a single hit! A hit made by one lucky kid?"_

Naru finally reached the dorm's front door. She collapsed and plummeted to the ground.

But she didn't make it that far.

Before she could finish her face plant, she was caught. Her savior slightly struggled under the pressure of her body, but managed to stay upright. She felt herself being carried over to the living room couch, and lied down.

Naru struggled to open her eyes. She got them open a crack, and saw Keitaro bending over her, making sure she was comfortable. She tried to tell him she was okay, to leave her alone when she caught another's gaze.

She stared into Shigawan's eyes for a second, until he came over from leaning on a wall behind Keitaro. He made his way over to her and leaned over her.

She felt his warm breath blow across her face as he leaned in. When he got in close enough he whispered…

"I apologize for my unfairness to you outside. Perhaps I can make it up to you later, but for now you must sleep. Normally this would not be a good thing to do, but trust me when I say that all you need to feel one hundred percent again is a good long nap."

Naru tried to respond with and okay, but found herself unable to, so she simply nodded.

Satisfied that she was going to take his advice, Shigawan headed back to his wall again.

"_Maybe he isn't so bad..after…all…" _Naru drifted off to sleep with a sigh of relief. Staying conscious really had taken a lot out of her.

* * *

Motoko watched in disbelief at the scene in front of her. There he was, the child that Naru spoke of.

He didn't resonate any power to speak of, but he still caused her to feel uneasy. She watched him as he make his way over to Naru after Keitaro over had carried her to the couch, as he didn't have the strength or stamina to take her to her room.

Motoko's face reddened slightly as she saw Shigawan lean in close, as if to kiss the seemingly asleep Naru. When he pulled away, she acted on pure instinct. While he was still a child, nobody deserved to get away scott free after almost taking advantage of Naru like that.

She decided to scare the child a little bit, not enough to actually hurt him, but to knock some sense into him. She could challenge him to a duel…

Yes, she would challenge him. He would intimidated by her prowess with a blade if it was shown to him first hand, and may make a future note to not act in any perverted sense. Yes, nip the bud before it has a chance to bloom.

She nodded to herself and slowly made her way to Shigawan.

She had made her decision.

* * *

Sorry to end it here, but I like to keep my chapters a little short…I don't know why. This is already my longest one so you should be happy. I like to lean towards quality and not quantity.

Thanks for reading this chapter, the next one will include Motoko vs Shigawan. I personally look forward to writing that scene, but if anybody wants to give me some ideas on how that should work out, let me know. I really like to have things in my reserve.

Please review, I have been working hard on this and would like to have that recognized…

"_Sadness is a fact of life, it only exists to fill the void left by Happy."_


	6. New Neighbors Part 3

Motoko whipped her shoulders forward and faced Shigawan before marching over. She made sure to sharpen her actions by drawing her sword and grimacing. She wanted everyone to hear this.

When she reached Shigawan, Motoko stopped and stared at him for a split second before shoving her sword right into his face, actually leaving a trail of blood in its wake as she scratched a cut into his left cheek.

"_I'll apologize for this later,"_ Motoko thought.

"**BOY!**" she thundered in her best scary voice. "You have come into our home uninvited and threatened one of our own! Then, in a moment of weakness, you take advantage of her once again? Unforgiv-"

"Actually, I invited him here…" interrupted Keitaro, in a halting voice.

The glare he received would have frozen his blood if he weren't so used to it. Glaring was generally the least of his problems.

"Unforgivable!" Motoko continued to rant, as if she hadn't been interrupted. "I challenge you to a duel, to regain my friend's honor! If you do not accept, or if you lose, you shall be thrown out of this household."

"Wait a minute, only I can…" Another glare from Motoko silenced Keitaro's protests.

Shigawan flinched at the glare as well, it was seriously hurting him to know that his friend wanted to help him so badly, yet was too weak to do so. Shigawan needed Keitaro to stand up for him, he really did.

A wave of pity washed into Motoko's mind, dulling both her senses and her determination. There was something about this boy that put her off…

She gazed at his eyes without him noticing, and recognized the look of sadness that resonated within them. But, surprisingly, it wasn't his eyes that put her off, it was something else. His chi, the life force surrounding his body, was what threw her into reality.

This boy was hurting. He was being eaten up inside by something, as his chi only portrayed sadness, not bitterness, and a sense of hopelessness. This boy was really upset by something.

She was so moved by the feeling that she might have called the whole thing off, if she hadn't heard a small cough behind her. She turned to face the perpetrator. Keitaro stared back at her.

He back stiffened as he visibly drew up his courage. He inhaled and said in a forceful voice, totally unKeitaro-ish, "Motoko, this boy is my guest, soon to be my employee, and I cannot allow you to simply kick him out, so I will do my part to help him out. I will accept your challenge for a duel."

Motoko frowned. This duel was for Shigawan and her alone. Now Keitaro wanted in on it? She shook her head and lowered her sword. This was too much.

"You think that you can take me on, the heir of the God's Cry School! You are blasphemous, Keitaro. And a fool. This does not concern you."

"Like hell it doesn't!" he spat forcefully. Everybody blinked. "How dare **you** threaten **him** in **my **household? This boy is the best thing that has happened to me in a while, with a few exceptions." He added, catching Shinobu's gaze.

Shinobu felt her face heat up as a blush entered her features. She wasn't that important to him…was she? Her face only blushed harder as he held the gaze for a few more moments.

"All of you are important to me," he said less forcefully, but with no less conviction. "I guess in a way I love you all. But when one of you is threatened, wouldn't you like me to stand up for you too, even if I don't have a chance? Wouldn't you like that kind of support?"

Each of the girls had a different reaction. Shinobu's face reddened even further.

Kaolla smiled happily; seemingly oblivious to the struggle of emotions that was taking place around her.

Naru continued to sleep peacefully.

Motoko's back stiffened; since when did Keitaro grow a backbone?

The last girl in the room smiled. The girl was obviously older than the other tenets, and her omni-closed eyes coupled with a foxy grin gave up the impression of wisdom and experience.

"…Fine, the duel will take place tomorrow," Motoko announced, her voice quivering slightly.

"In," Keitaro interjected quickly, "the afternoon. If you please. There are still chores, after all, and according to a certain someone," he glanced in the sleeping Naru's direction, "the needs of the inn come before everything else."

Motoko watched Keitaro as he smiled brightly and started a half turn to finish the hot springs. She was totally unsurprised when he suddenly lunged forward, tripping over his own feet. This happened much too often. What did startle her, however, was the fact that two individuals caught him.

"Oh," Keitaro began when he realized who caught him, "Kitsune." And indeed, he was currently wrapped in the older girl's arms, along with Shigawan, who had intended to catch the klutz himself, but wasn't quite quick enough.

The two boys got lucky, however, as Kitsune merely smiled and laughed at their horrified faces. She gently released the two, as even she was unwilling to engage in any _questionable_ activities around the younger boy.

* * *

The household meeting was dispersed for the night. Shadows lengthened and the tenants all began to head off to their rooms. Shigawan entered his room and closed the door. The sounds of unpacking were heard as he stayed in there.

This puzzled the girls and Keitaro to no end. Shigawan hadn't brought a bag…had he?

While the others pondered the question to themselves and wandered back to their rooms, Kaolla waited until the coast was clear to bound up to his door. She rapped sharply on the barrier.

A few more sounds were heard, followed by a crash. Finally, the door opened a crack to reveal a disheveled Shigawan, blocking the view of his room. Kaolla craned her neck in an attempt to see the inside of the room.

Shigawan quickly shut the door and began the conversation through it, instead of around it.

"Need something?" he asked, puzzled as to why she had visited.

"Nope, just wanted to see your room. I'm curious." Kaolla hated being curious. She wanted to know.

"Sorry," he replied, "my room is off limits to you all for the time being. My things are private until further notice."

"Aww," she pouted, " you're so boring and I'm so curious. Pleeease!"

"…I'm sorry. Not now, maybe later."

"How much later? Is it later now!"

Shigawan chuckled behind the door. "No, much later, after I know you better, and you know me better… When we're friends."

"Oh," was all Kaolla replied before rushing back to her room. She too closed her door and continued to sit and ponder the mystery of what was in Shigawan's room. She thought and thought, but slowly her eyes drooped. She drifted off to sleep in mid ponder.

"Why can't he loosen up…Why can't he relax like me? Why…Why…Why-"

* * *

Kaolla awoke with a start. She hastened to glance around her room. Nothing was out of place here…but there had been a noise on the roof.

Having wired the entire Hinata house into her computer's mainframe, Su knew everything that went on. She even explored the shortcuts underneath the inn and wired those in.

But now with somebody on the roof…who was up there? Everybody was asleep.

"Taking a snooze," she giggled. Kaolla bounded around her room for her latest invention, her Mecha-tama. When Keitaro arrived a few months ago, he had brought his pet Hot Springs Turtle along. It HAD looked rather good, and after having read about how GOOD turtle soup was, she HAD to try it.

Unfortunately, she had been forbidden, and even so, Kaolla could never catch the wily Tama-chan. Recently, however she had invented the Mecha-tama, a mechanized version of Tama, in order to help her with her pursuits. She just needed to test its capabilities, that way, if she was required to, she could upgrade it into a newer, better V2.

Bounding from tree to tree, Su searched high and low for her missing invention. One of the downsides to having a jungle for a room, it was almost impossible to have proper organization.

"Mecha-tama, Mecha-tama…" the bouncing blond chanted as she dug through a few bushes. Finally she went to her closet, and, low and behold, there, on the shelf labeled _Mecha-Tama_, lay the inanimate invention.

"Strange…" Su pondered, "you're where I left you." She quickly snatched her ingenious invention and slowly, silently, opened her door. Dressed now, instead of her usual nightcap and pajamas, Kaolla wore convert army cameo and face paint.

Finally, Su made it to the stairs and creeped upward, towards the new arrival.

* * *

Well, finally I got that out of my system. I hit a block a while back, and just couldn't write anything in this story. Sorry about not including the fight in this chapter, but I decided that this would be a good place to end it.

I may not be going on for too many more chapters at all, I only wanted to continue this fic until Shigawan got settled. I'm running out of new material. I may, however, make a sequel where I include Mutsumi. To put her in now wouldn't do her justice.

Review me if you have any comments or complaints. I need feedback if I'm going to do any better.

Thanks once again for reading!


	7. New Neighbors Finale

Kaolla stared in slight amusement at the sight that was portrayed to her. On the roof lay the newest tenet to the Hinata Dorm. Shigawan had fallen asleep on the slanted roof of the inn, and looked decidedly comfortable. His dark hair swayed with each passing breeze and his jacket strewn across him, acting somewhat as a blanket.

Kaolla watched as he rolled over, turning to face her although he remained asleep. His facial features glowed contentment. He looked at peace with the world, and the usually hyperactive inventor caught herself staring.

Shigawan's breathing was slow. He continued in a pattern; inhale…exhale…inhale…exhale. Kaolla glanced around, and seeing nobody was going to see this, walked shyly over to where the newcomer lay and plopped down beside him. Her breaths gradually lengthened to match his, and she felt herself calming to a point where sleep would be welcome.

Kaolla yawned and stared with heavy eyes at Shigawan. During her slip in attention, he had turned over again, this time so that he was sprawled on his stomach, his arms pulled tightly to his sides.

Su smiled sleepily. She liked him like this; it made him look cute, almost reminding her of the way HER family slept. Always busy awake, and sometimes as annoying as hell, but they make the most peaceful beings when they were asleep. They were always more welcoming asleep than awake.

"He reminds me of why I have my 'sleeping habit'," the inventor thought quietly. "Sleeping with somebody is really the only way for me to remember the happier times with my parents…"

Kaolla finally decided that she had seen enough, creeping silently back to the stairwell, only glancing back to peer at the sleeping Shigawan and giggle.

"He looks like fun," she thought. "Maybe he'll play with me tomorrow, then we can become friends and he'll let me see his room!"

Sudden realization dawned on her. HIS ROOM! Since he was asleep on the roof, Shigawan would never know that she had seen his precious room. It was perfect. In and out, just enough to cure her curiosity.

However, when Su reached the forbidden room, she stopped. Something held her back. Did she really want this?

_Of course!_

But then why is she feeling so bad about it? Why is there a feeling of want to turn back, to wait until Shigawan deemed her ready?

But she was curious…

But isn't a present always better after the wait, to receive something that you want only after earning it?

…Fine, she would wait. How bad could being friends with Shigawan be?

Pulling her nightcap back on, Kaolla finally reached up and climbed into an air vent connecting her room with Keitaro's. She knew she wasn't SUPPOSED to sleep there, but she trusted him.

"Plus I'm so-o sleepy," she yawned. "I don't think I can make it to Motoko's."

* * *

Keitaro was fast asleep when he was slightly jarred awake by something moving him over slightly. Panicking, he turned to find Kaolla curled up next to him on the outside of his covers of his futon, shivering slightly.

The first thing that came to mind was when she arrived. He didn't remember going to sleep with her present. He needed to get her out of his room before one of the other girls saw him like this, but she looked so peaceful…

Recalling that she couldn't sleep except next to another, he relented. He sighed knowing he was going to get it in the morning, but first he needed to make her feel comfortable. Carefully, so as not to disturb her, he climbed out of his futon and covered her with the remaining sheets to stop her shivering form.

He then took her place curled up on the side of the futon, shivering in the cool air.

"At least she looks comfortable," he mumbled before going to sleep. He needed to be ready for tomorrow.

Kaolla then closed HER eyes as well, and mumbled in reply, "I am, big brother, I am…" Finally the hyper inventor fell deep asleep.

* * *

Morning peeped down onto the sleepy inn. Inside, the sleepy teens fought to stay asleep, but they all had very diverse reasons to get up. Naru was the first to get up on this particular date.

Yawning, the redheaded beauty stretched and got right to her morning routine, which mainly consisted of starting Keitaro's morning routine. She was so like his morning alarm clock, it was joked about with the other tenets. Not that she cared…or even knew. Everybody, even the ever-powerful Motoko, did his or her best to steer clear of Naru's fiery wrath.

Slipping out of her futon, Naru slid into her indoor slippers and slowly fumbled her way to the small hole that separated her room from Keitaro's. All that covered the hole was a square piece of ply board, topped by a small plushie. The plushy, a Liddo-kun, was a small reminder of Naru's childhood days.

The red head halted before she opened the hole, her head pounding from yesterday's run in with Shigawan. She closed her eyes and picked her doll up instead of the single board that stood as a barrier between her and Keitaro.

Sighing in defeat, Naru wanted to lift the board and check on Keitaro, but what if he disappointed her? She hated to punish him, but she felt she had to. She needed to keep him in line for the other girls that lived here.

"Liddo-kun, what should I do? I-I don't want to judge him, but even so I-he…" she desperately asked her childhood doll. "I feel I have to…"

Although Naru knew that Liddo-kun could never answer, it always helped her to ask, to squeeze the doll and to know that nobody was around to judge her. To feel safe about herself and her insecurities.

So, with this in mind and feeling slightly better, Naru lifted the barrier and peered into Keitaro's room.

* * *

Kaolla slowly closed Naru's bedroom door and quietly tread down to her room. Maybe today she could get a head start on being Shigawan's friend.

She really wanted to see his room, but something else was there to. It came when she watched him sleep, watching his chest rise and fall with each passing breath. The feeling she got when she felt his eyes on her. He was even considerate enough to share lunch with her today…

He seemed really nice, and Kaolla hoped that he was fun, but she had to remember to keep an eye on Keitaro. He was her big brother, her rock to lean on. He may be a little ditzy, and a total klutz, but he was always the same and always nice. He kept her happy, so she would do all in her power to do the same…

"See, big brother, I promise you will never be hurt because of me…never because of me…"

* * *

"Today's the day!" muttered Keitaro as he finally woke, rubbing the dreamless night away. He felt a little worried at Kaolla's absence, but he figured that she just got up ahead of him and decided to let him sleep. "That was nice of her."

Well, fist things first, he decided. Maintaining the dorm was his life at present. He may have spent a lot of his free time studying, but it was essential that he 'put the dorm first' as Naru so often put it.

Deciding on a plausible plan of action for the day, Keitaro quickly pulled on his clothes and left to trot down the hall in search of the inn's current problems.

* * *

"He's not there," Naru muttered under her breath. Grasping the covering once more, she hastily placed it back onto its given placement. "He better be working on the dorm," the red head growled, brushing aside a few loose hairs that had been mocking her appearance as it reflected back at her.

"Bed head…blemish…is that a pimple? …Stupid nose…" Naru stood quietly, her vacant eyes staring blankly at a reflecting surface, at her body, as she counted her flaws, her imperfections. She needed to be perfect, the best, the smartest, the prettiest, and the strongest. She hated distractions from her goal. She hated men.

Reaching her hand out slowly to grasp the cold handle of her small wooden dresser, Naru dressed in light attire. Simple clothes, it was unneeded of her to dress up.

It only encouraged them…

* * *

Afternoon came quickly to the people living in the Hinata dorm. All of the trees surrounding the grounds of the inn whistled through their branches as the wind gave them breath. The grass bent slightly, bowing to the wind's superior might.

Keitaro stood ready, his face set and his eyes narrowed, bracing himself for the coming duel. Light beads of sweat rolled down his forehead as he thought about the pain that might be waiting in the future. He stood, clearly nervous, but entirely determined to fight to the end.

At least the end wouldn't result in death. He didn't want to die, just protect the honor of one of his few 'special' people…

Motoko was more confident, her face showing the years she had spent perfecting her martial arts, in other words, her face clearly showed impassiveness. She knew that she would win.

Motoko was ready.

The other spectators had gathered in the surrounding area, giving a wide berth to the soon to be duelists. All of the tenets had gathered and each positioned themselves uniquely.

Naru watched from against a tree, not showing any inclination of actually caring who won or lost.

Kaolla swung from the upper branches of a spruce tree, throwing encouragements to both of the fighters, making it difficult to see her favorite.

Kitsune opted for a more comfortable vantage point; dragging a small mat to the side of the inn and plopping herself down, ready to watch with relative ease. She was currently showing her trademark fox grin as she awaited what she hoped would make history.

Shinobu's choice victor was the most obvious. At the edge of her seat, currently a rock, she waited with concerned eyes and a first aid kit. The young cook watched Keitaro as if she thought that he would collapse at any given moment.

Shigawan held a high vantage point. He had decided to watch from the roof of the inn. His face was hidden from the others at the moment, as he had decided to wait out until closer to the beginning of the fight until he actually came out. He had said he needed to do something in his room…

Motoko brought in a large breath, held it, and released before she announced, "It is time." Her voice rang out and the others finally snapped to attention. As quiet thump was heard as Shigawan plopped down on the edge of the roof.

"Urashima, are you ready?"

Four words that held so much meaning. Was he ready?

"Yes, lets get this over with Motoko." Clenching his fists, Keitaro slowly treaded towards the female warrior. She held the power in this match, so he would have to draw it out. Her power and speed were great, but if he held on long enough, Keitaro could outlast her.

Keitaro's brown eyes met Motoko's hard eyes. Without pausing in his approach, he blinked. Motoko charged.

Opening with a ki blast, Motoko quickly replaced her sword in its scabbard. Keitaro was forced to dive in one direction, where the more battle experienced of the two was waiting. Throwing a flurry of punches and ending each combo with a swift kick, Motoko knocked Keitaro around like a broken rag doll.

However, with every fall, Keitaro got right back up. He fought on, but Motoko was simply warming herself up. Falling slightly back, she knew of her weakness. Conventional attacks just wouldn't cut it in this battle. She needed to bring her sword into play if she was going to win.

Finally she saw the opening she had been waiting for. Jumping back, she redrew her sword and slashed the air in an arc. Forcing her ki out through the swing, the ebony haired warrior called out,

Boulder Cutting Blade 

Keitaro skidded to a stop, unable to dodge. He closed his eyes and waited for the unavoidable outcome of excruciating pain to make its way into his body. _"I wasn't cut out for this, I'm not a warrior. Just a manager to this inn. I couldn't hurt her if I wanted."_

He felt the power of the strike wash through him, but no pain came. He opened his eyes to find an unexpected option to the excruciating pain.

Shigawan was standing in the way of the former path of the ki strike, his mallet once again held in front of him as he waved off the last of the blocked blast. His eyes were once more blank, not the usual hazel orbs, but now two black pits.

"Motoko," he announced, his voice had too changed back to a low monotone. "You get your battle with me. Leave Keitaro out of this duel, and I will fight you."

"That is…acceptable," Motoko replied, her face only lightly betraying her excitement. Keitaro she didn't car much for in battling, but this child, Shigawan, looked to be a challenge. While he may emanate no power to speak of, he still held an air of confidence. _"He could be suppressing his aura,"_ Motoko thought, _"but that is a very difficult technique to accomplish against a skilled aura sensor. Yet I feel nothing from him."_

The two new combatants faced each other and bowed, formally accepting the thought of a duel. Shigawan readied his stance, but Motoko held back for a moment. She wanted to know something.

"Why," she inquired slowly, "did you not accept this duel when I first offered it to you?"

"Yes, why indeed?" he mused. "Motoko?" he asked suddenly.

"Yes, what is it?" the warrior's voice beginning to show excitement at the thought of battle.

"I'll answer your question, but first I must ask you one of my own. Perhaps it will help you to see where I'm coming from…"

"…" Motoko looked onto Shigawan's expression, clearly showing her distrust to answering any question of his. "Ask your question, and I may bring myself to answer…"

"This is all I ask." Breathing deeply, Shigawan began. "Why did you challenge me to a duel? There are other ways to portray anger, to show strength."

All of that preparation for such a simple answer? "Shigawan, I am a warrior, I fight to defend the honor of myself and my friends. My way is carried out by the sword."

"_Yeah, where all very aware of THAT…" _whispered Keitaro.

Kitsune hushed him before returning her attention to the two duelists.

"That answer is already half of mine," began Shigawan. "I didn't accept your proposal because of what you are compared to what I am.

You, Motoko, are a _senshi_, a warrior. You are one of the few demon slayers left in this world. You are trained in the arts, and fight for your honor. You have placed years of training into you position of martial strength, and you should be proud.

I, on the other hand, am a nobody. I am not like you, I did not train in the arts, nor do I posses great skill, as you do. In short, I could not win; the only possible outcome was for me to lose."

Confusion screwed up on Motoko's tanned features. Her eyebrow shot up as she wondered what his accepting the duel might possibly mean. "What makes now any different from then?"

Slightly smirking, the young teen replied, "On the first occasion, I was fighting for somebody's honor. Honor is not tangible, nor does it have any real value to this world that could be worth fighting for. There is something, however, that is.

You are a warrior, Motoko, and I am a protector. You are free to fight as you please, but I can only protect human life when it is threatened. Otherwise I may not use my strength, I am not allowed to fight. I adhere to this rule strongly."

"But why do you obey such a rule so strongly?"

Chuckling, he replied, "That's enough questions for one fight. I thought you wanted to duel me?"

"Fine, begin!"

Both teens formally bowed, waists bent to a sharp angle. Showing courtesy was important to both, even in battle.

And the battle began. Both combatants were pretty easily matched, trading blow for blow as each waited for the opportunity to bring their weapons into play. Almost dancing in a whirl of movements, the two fought with flourish as Motoko struggled to take the upper hand.

Finally she saw her hole. Quickly grabbing Shigawan's over extended wrist, she drove her palm straight into his gut. Wheezing as he flew, Shigawan's journey was stopped by a sturdy tree.

Now, she decided, was a good chance to bring in her ace. Quickly drawing her katana, Motoko dashed into the settling dust, upsetting the few leaves behind her as she moved. Holding the sword at ready, Motoko waited for those familiar hazel eyes to catch hers and begin the fight once more.

However, as the dust once more found a resting place, Shigawan was nowhere to be seen. Glancing up the tree and to her left and right, there was only one option left.

"Behind you," a voice whispered as she jumped forward to avoid being smashed by Shigawan's heavy looking mallet.

The second weapon had been brought out.

"Beginning to tire yet, Motoko?"

"No," was her somewhat untruthful answer. Her chest heaved slightly, and she felt the aftereffects of rigorous exercise beginning to wear on her.

"Funny, I am. Wish we could just end this, but one will have to win, and I intend to stay. I like this inn," he glanced around at the remaining tenets, "and all the inhabitants within." Slowly his eyes moved up to Kaolla, who sat in her spruce, and the hazel orbs lingered on her for a second before moving on.

Turning back to the battle, he found that Motoko had taken the opportunity to get herself up and prepare to release her ki blast.

Boulder Cutting Blade 

she cried, once more bringing her sword into an arc. The wave of ki moved in rapid haste, blowing over grass and rock towards its target.

Grinning, Shigawan was finally able to release his blast.

Metal Mallet Reflection 

Bringing his sword upright, the ki blast that was meant for him blasted his metal hammer. The chi gathered at impact, forming a ball of energy, and was reflected back at Motoko!

She froze in surprise. Her sisters never mentioned this in her studies. This had never happened! He was reflecting her own chi back at her!

With no time to dodge, she could only watch the incoming wave flow towards her. The blast seemed no weaker, nor anymore powerful. It was simply retaliation against her attack, a redirection.

The blast neared her, and she closed her eyes, something she had never done before. Motoko was scared. This was her own attack, a part of her. It was like she had just lost control of her right arm, and that arm was mercilessly beating her.

She felt helpless.

Nobody to save her, her own attack getting ready to beat her down, she caved. Motoko gave up.

Crumbling to the ground she awaited the impact. She was beaten, and she knew it.

However, before the ki had a chance to reach her, she felt herself being lifted, moved out of the way of the blast.

"Does this mean you give?" a voice whispered in her ear.

Tossed out of the blast, Motoko looked back to see whom her savior was. Who had tossed her out of the way of the oncoming wave of energy?

Keitaro.

He wasn't fast enough to get out of the way of the blast himself. "Ho boy, this'll be painful," he thought as the blast finally connected.

* * *

Keitaro had watched from the sidelines, silently wishing that neither had to fight the other. Motoko seemed to clearly have the upper hand, but Shigawan surprised him. He surprised them all.

Motoko seemed to loose her fight at the sight of her rebounded attack. "She's giving up…" Keitaro muttered.

The blast, however, wouldn't stop because she quit. It couldn't. She would be hurt, and Keitaro couldn't allow that so instead of letting her take the shot, Keitaro stepped in and took a hit for her.

He was currently unconscious, and would stay that way for a while. Even though he was seemingly immortal doesn't mean that he couldn't be hurt. In his slumber like state he would heal, his hair plastered to his face and his glasses knocked askew. He looked much worse than he was…

Shigawan wouldn't let it go, however. Knocked down for hurting his friend, he felt guilty and locked himself in his room only to emerge to check on the waylaid manager and once a day to eat.

Relationships grew between the tenets for the next few days, and when Keitaro awoke, he was surprised at the new alliances, and even the new rifts…

* * *

_From the Desk of Tyr'll _

There, a new chapter! The finale to New Neighbors. I hope it was up to par, and if it wasn't, let me know so I can fix it. The next section will be based on the time Keitaro spends healing, which may take a few days, as he was already tired before getting injured. I figure this will slow down recovery time.

It may take a while to get up, but I hope that you enjoyed this chapter's length. Its special because it's a finale so I made it twice as long as my usual chapters…

I apologize for my inconsistency at updating, but I don't get too many reviews, although I have had some 1000 hits. What kind of record is that? Oh well…

Finally, I would like to dedicate this chapter to _**Havenoname**_. Thanks for your consistant reviewing!

Until next time!

-B


	8. Forging Alliances Part 1

Reclining up on the roof of the Hinata Inn, Shigawan thought long and hard about current situations. Keitaro was injured, more so than usual. Few people stood up well against a chi attack, but the intrepid manager challenged the best of them with his god-like endurance. But even with all this said and done, he remained only human.

Keitaro fought, hard, against Motoko. Well worn from his battle and not having had even a ten-minute breather, he had found himself once again in the fray, but this time taking a large blast of concentrated punishment. Already tired, the manager's poor body did the only thing it could.

Keitaro passed into a coma and it was unknown as to how long he would be asleep. Shigawan had done his best in comforting the other tenets, reassuring them it was only temporary, as Keitaro's mind had to repair the damage without interference. It was only a matter of time…

Sighing as he stood, Shigawan stopped reminiscing about the past, HIS mistake. Only hours have passed since the time of the fight, and the black haired teen felt awful. This was his fault.

He needed to get his mind of the pain. His light footsteps pattered as he sluggishly moved down corridor after corridor, a blank stare occupying his face. As he moved, he barely watched, as he let his legs lead him by instinct to wherever he felt he would be needed.

As he neared what Shigawan supposed to be his destination, hazel eyes glanced up and focused on the doorway that sat in front of him.

Shigawan heard a small voice float through his head, "Makes sense…"

_The Supply Closet_

With the usual caretaker under the weather, duty fell on him to keep the inn up and running. He was, after all, here to help.

* * *

"Awww, Motoko, you're so boring!" Su pouted.

"Please try to understand Kaolla. I simply cannot play right now. I must train to become stronger."

Motoko, although her stoic features hid it well, was fuming. A child had beaten her, and worse yet, she had to be protected by that perverted manager! She wasn't some damsel in distress, she could protect herself. She needed nobody.

"Perhaps Shigawan would play with you, although I haven't seen him around as of late." Motoko silently snickered. While all the other tenets knew of Kaolla's definition of 'playing', Shigawan probably didn't. It would teach him to mess with her again.

Su brightened, "Oh yeah, thanks Motoko! But you haven't seen him around all day?"

Motoko shook her head, her ebony locks swirling with the simple movement.

Kaolla tightened her eyes closed and screwed her face up in cute concentration. Placing her hand onto her chin and tapping, the energetic inventor pondered he dilemma. Suddenly her eyes popped open; she rose up her hand and declared, "Got it! He must be at the hot springs!"

Motoko was mildly interested to say the least, so she questioned the girl's logic. "Why would he be there? Peeking? Currently I believe that all the girls besides us are out."

Su shook her head in exasperation. "No, he wouldn't peek! He's too nice for that. He could be taking a bath himself, for one, or he could be doing what I think he's doing."

"Which would be…"

"Remember how the springs were getting a little dirty, because of the amount of dirt and blood we cleaned off of you after the fight?"

"Yes, but what does that have to do with Shigawan?"

"Well, both Shigawan and Keitaro are really nice, and if Shigawan is anything like Keitaro, then…" Su smiled brightly, "He's going to go clean the springs."

"Motoko scoffed, "He better be, but I doubt it. That idiot seems lazy, although he should because it is his fault that Keitaro is…handicapped at the moment."

Kaolla turned slowly, her eyes cold, with an unusual amount of annoyance shown towards her 'best friend'. "If I remember correctly, it's your fault Keitaro was hurt, not Shigawan's."

Su turned back and left Motoko's room to check out the hot springs for any sign of her new 'playmate', leaving a young swordswoman alone to stare blankly at the door and contemplate those words.

* * *

Kaolla bounded off to the hot springs to see Shigawan. Since the fight, he hadn't really shown himself, and Su found that she missed him already. There was just something about his presence that made her feel at ease.

Su slowed her pace, trailing her hand along the wall behind her and frowned. She sure hoped he wasn't blaming himself over what had happened to Keitaro. It wasn't his fault; Keitaro had leapt himself into the blast.

But it would make sense; He had said he was a protector, whatever that was. He said that he protected human life, but in harming another, he may have felt regret, sadness at having caused harm when he only meant to help.

Following the now instinctive route to the Inn's hot springs, she took notice of a small white square just outside the entrance, Carefully Su bent over and grasped the object and flipped it over to view the opposite side. She caught herself giggling at what the other side read.

_Warning: Hot Springs Closed for Cleaning_

"Just like something that would happen to Keitaro," Kaolla muttered, a smirk gracing her tan face as she remembered the times they had accidentally walked in on him for mistakes common to this one.

Grasping the handle of the door, Kaolla pushed it open to reveal the large area that housed the Hot Springs. Su sighed as she stepped in, her mind lingering in the past as she remembered all the relaxing hours wasted away in the warm water. She frowned when her mind brought up one not so great memory, however. While this may have been a place of solitude for the girls, it was also a shelter for one mans demons.

Keitaro's demons. He had been punted, rocketed, punched, maimed, scarred mentally and physically, and had lost much blood (mostly out of his nose) due to the mishaps that occurred Oh, so often.

Su wandered through the mist that accompanied the hot water, searching for any sign of Shigawan. She walked quietly, her bare feet making no noise as she looked. Faintly she caught the faint scraping sounds of a brush running up and down the concrete walkways, a sure sign that he was nearby.

Walking even slower so as not to miss him in the steam, Kaolla continued to ponder the memories that the Hot Springs gave up. Slowly, the faint scraping noises grew louder, until she finally broke through the steam to find herself behind the toiling Shigawan.

He hadn't heard her due to her quiet footsteps, so she let him be for a second, watching the way that he rhythmically brushed and cleaned the floor to the hot springs. He looked exhausted, like he had been working all day.

Watching his head bob with the rhythm of the broom, she drew her attention to his odd looking hair. It wasn't really a bad look for him, just strange, unreal. He had black hair that was slicked back, with a strange white highlight in the center of his forehead.

While musing about his hair, Su found herself remembering his other features. Smile, shape of his face, but mostly his eyes. He had strange hazel eyes. It was like they could pierce your very soul, but Kaolla had felt peace looking in those eyes. The first time she had met him, just the day before yesterday, when he had been waiting so impatiently for Shinobu to fix him a meal, she had seen his eyes. Then he had shared his meal with her.

Kaolla's face slowly heated up at the memory. He had been so nice, he was hungry but he still shared with her. And he had looked at her with those wonderful hazel eyes…_was she blushing!_

Su reached up and slowly touched her face. It felt so warm…

"Ahh, Su-chan! Did you need something?" Shigawan had turned to see the blond inventor staring off into space behind him.

_Shit! _He noticed her staring at him! "N-no…I just w-wanted to ask…" Why was she stuttering? Kaolla felt her face double in heat. The blush was intensifying. _Damn! _"Never mind! Gotta go!" Su sprinted off back to her room.

_Damn it! Why did I freeze up like that?_ She needed to think about this, and there was no better place to think than her jungle-like room.

* * *

Shigawan had just finished cleaning the springs when he turned to see a figure through the steam. While her features may have been masked, he could tell from her stature that it was Kaolla.

"Ahh, Su-chan! Did you need something?" he asked cheerfully. He figured he could use a break.

He heard her mumble something before she turned and dashed. The poor teen's mind reeled at the implications. Did she hate him? Why had she run?

"Probably thinks it was my fault Keitaro was hurt…" Shigawan felt his cheerful mood vanish. He turned to leave the hot springs and wander the surrounding forest for a bit. He needed to think. As he wove through the trees, he found himself missing the small lake he used to be able to visit any time.

Right now, he just didn't have the luxury. It was too far to visit at any time. Suddenly something caught his eye. Turning, Shigawan saw a heartbreaking picture.

Lying with its tail caught under a dead tree trunk, obviously knocked over during the battle yesterday, was a small kit, a young fox. The kit looked starved, as it hadn't been able to pull itself free from the dead weight of the fallen tree.

His heart went out to the fox as he saw it clawing at the log after noticing him. It clearly wanted out, and was probably scared out of it wits of him. As he neared the kit, it closed its eyes tight, curled up in as much of a ball as it could, and shook.

Gently, Shigawan attempted to roll the log off of the fox. He grunted as he strained against the log. Closing his eyes, he heaved. The log didn't move, but it rocked a little. Suddenly Shigawan heard a smaller grunt. Looking down, he was startled to see the fox pushing against the log with him. As it too stopped, it looked up at him with intelligent eyes, as if to ask him why he had stopped pushing.

He chuckled and heaved again, listening to the kit strain with him. Finally the log rolled off of the fox's tail. Shigawan sighed in relief, when he felt the small fox tentatively poke him with its small black nose.

Curiosity, not fear, now shone in the young fox's eyes. Shigawan slowly reached down and gave it a small pat on the head before he turned to leave towards the inn.

"That was strange…" he thought.

Shigawan quickly made his way back to the inn, entering and climbing the steps to leading to the dorm corridor. He was tired. Eaten with guilt, he wanted a break from everything already. "Funny, I've only been here three days and everybody probably hates me. I wonder if this is how Keitaro felt when he first came…"

Finally reaching his room, he turned to find a disturbing sight. Sitting right outside his door, was that fox.

The fox was small, probably due to its youth. Its reddish-orange tail swished back and forth, still matted and tangled from having been trapped under the tree. Its eyes were green and glowed with a hidden intelligence.

Looking up to him, the fox seemed to be waiting for something.

"How did you get here…" Shigawan muttered. "Did you follow me? Sure are a quiet little guy-"

The fox snorted.

"…girl?" As he approached, the kit moved, unblocking the path to Shigawan's door. As he slid the door open, the fox slipped through the second the opening was wide enough.

"Make yourself at home," he muttered following the fox into his room and shutting his door.

"Well you certainly look comfortable." Shigawan's voice drifted through the thin doorway. There was a slight pause before Shigawan was heard to ask, "Should I name ya? You're a quiet one so…how about Dihn?" A snort of disbelief followed quickly after.

"Right, you're a girl…right? Then you can be called…Tacita." Pause. "Better?" Another pause. "Good…Tacita."

* * *

_A Note From the Desk of Tyr'll _

That was fun; I hope you enjoyed this entry. Like stated last chapter, the next section will deal with Keitaro's recovery, like the last dealed with Shigawan's entry into the Inn.

I do enjoy feedback, and I thank the three who reviewed last time. **_Havenoname_**,**_ Lil'nay _**and**_ Barretta _**are all thanked from the bottom of my heart.

By the way, now that Shigawan has been properly introduced, if anybody still has questions, if I have been too vague, or if you like him, please let me know.

Okay, I'm forging a road here, there aren't enough Keitaro pairings with Mutsumi and this is one, so any feedback on how to make it a better story would be appreciated. Just let me know if you have any ideas for it.

Thanks!

_-B_


	9. Forging Alliances Part 2

Trudging up the steep incline of steps to the Hinata Inn was a lot of work and took up too much time for most people's tastes, but to the three returning tenets, the length was perfect. It gave them a chance to discuss their new…neighbor.

"It's too bad he's so young," pouted Kitsune. "He seems uptight. I think we need to get him to loosen up a bit, you know?"

"Y-yeah…we could throw S-s-shigawan-s-san a party…" Shinobu stuttered, "you know, like a w-w-welcoming party!"

"Exactly, Shinobu! I think I'm rubbing off on you!" Naru snorted in obvious displeasure at the statement. Kitsune stopped her ascent to turn to her companions. "No, I'm serious. We need to get the guy to loosen up. Come on, remember the fight? He was all 'I'm a defender, I can't fight for myself or honor, just for life…', he's just a kid! He shouldn't be thinking like that."

"He can think however he wants to, I don't care," exclaimed Naru as she brushed her red hair to the side. Stepping forward, she continued her ascent, leaving Kitsune and Shinobu behind.

Shinobu peeked up at Kitsune shyly, her blue eyes almost covered by her matching blue hair. "Do you think Shigawan-san would really like a party, Kitsune?"

Kitsune smiled softly at the impressionable young cook. "Yeah, he needs it to get through this depression he's been going through since Keitaro got hurt…"

"Oh my gosh!" Shinobu snapped her head up and dashed back to the inn, her recently acquired groceries flailing behind her. "Sempai! Maybe he's awake!"

* * *

"H-hi…Keitaro, just coming for a visit." Shigawan's head appeared in the doorway of the young Manager's room. "I hope you're getting better…"

Shigawan slowly entered the room and locked the door behind him. Keitaro lay at the far end of the room, his brown hair covering his eyes, giving the impression that he was simply napping. Shigawan make his way to the side of the futon, dropping to his knees when he reached the side.

"I'm so sorry, Keitaro. This wasn't supposed to happen. This isn't ALLOWED to happen." Shigawan's eyes began to slowly tear up. "I am a defender. This is my life, chosen or not. It is my burden to protect, not to harm. In doing so, I am against my code. I should be dead…"

Finally a tear made its way down Shigawan's cheek, followed closely by two others. The stream of saltwater left a watery streak down his face, and to small droplets fell to hit the sheet covering Keitaro's prone body. An array of spots appeared on Keitaro's sheet, almost saturating the single spot before Shigawan finally calmed himself enough to stand.

Sniffling as he slowly picked himself up, the hazel eyed young man made his way back to the door. Stumbling, Shigawan's foot knocked against the leg of Keitaro's studying table. As he lost his balance, the young protector didn't even bother bringing his hands up to soften the blow. He was drained, tired, his tears streaming behind him as his face rushed to meet the floor.

With a dull thud, Shigawan landed on the floor, forgetting to get back up.

Quietly, the young teen continued to sob to himself.

* * *

"Why did I run?"

Kaolla had been beating herself up for rushing out on Shigawan since that morning, and she still couldn't figure it out. Was it because she liked Shigawan? Hanging from one of her rooms many banana trees, she called his face up in her mind.

Bringing her hand up for what felt like the hundredth time to her tanned face, she felt the warmth of a blush wash over her.

Yep, definitely a crush.

Unlike most children, Su took things at face value. If she blushed at the thought of his face, she probably liked him. There was little point in denying it. But why was she so awkward around him? She didn't have this kind of problem when she thought she liked Keitaro. Granted, now she thought more of him as her brother than before, but even then it was never this bad.

She couldn't even talk to Shigawan.

"Oh big brother, you better wake up soon. I think I need your help."

Kaolla slowly made her way to Keitaro's room. Shigawan had said he could awaken at any time, so why not now? She could at least pay her somewhat adopted brother a visit.

Trudging down the hallway in thought, Su's white blond hair bounced slightly with each step. Her eyes were lowered, and green orbs half shut in thought. As Su turned to corner to the manager's room, she found herself face to face with one blue haired cook.

"Ah, Su-chan…is something wrong?"

"Nah, just thinking about something…you checking on Keitaro?"

Although obviously worried at Kaolla's lack of energy, Shinobu seemed anxious for another reason. "I was just on my way to do that," Shinobu started, "but it seems the door is locked…"

"Locked," echoed Su. "Why would it be locked?"

"I don't really know," answered Shinobu. "But what bothers me is that I think somebody is crying in there…"

Su frowned. "Do you know who?"

"Well, since you and me are here, Naru is currently lounging around the living room, I left Kitsune on the steps, and I saw Motoko on the roof training…I'd have to say that it was Shigawan."

Kaolla's eyes widened, but before she had a chance to reply, a faint thud was heard from inside Keitaro's room.

Rushing to the door, Su found that it was still locked, before turning and rushing up to the dorm corridor, murmuring something about Naru's room before disappearing up the steps.

Taking the steps two at a time, Su literally sprinted to Naru's room and threw her door open. Pausing only for a few breaths, the young inventor ran to the covered hole in Naru's floor before dropping to her knees and throwing off the board.

Slowly peeking through the hole, Kaolla found that it was indeed Shigawan that was sobbing. Currently he was sprawled out on the floor, apparently having tripped over Keitaro's small study tables.

"Shigawan?" Su called uncertainly. The young teen remained unresponsive, his shoulders racked with his sobs.

Grasping both sides of the broken floor, Su lowered herself quickly, but carefully to the floor. Landing in a crouched position with a small thump, Kaolla walked uncertainly towards the sobbing Shigawan.

Taking a deep breath and lowering herself to his position, Su gently poked him. "Shigawan…? What's wrong?"

Faster than Kaolla thought possible, Shigawan threw himself around the young inventors waist. Su blinked and stared open eyed as a new blush began to form on her features. "Shigawan…?"

"Su, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! It's my fault. It was a mistake, I swear! I-I didn't mean to…to…I'm sorry."

Su frowned, then smiled warmly at the troubled teen in her lap, almost all traces of her blush banished once again. "Of course it isn't your fault…" she reassured him, taking his face and bringing it level with hers. Gazing into his hazel eyes briefly, she brought her face to his and rubbed her cheek against his.

Shigawan was shocked. She was so close… Her tanned cheek was warm and felt so nice rubbing against his, he stuttered trying to gather his thoughts, only vaguely aware of the blush forming on his face. "B-but…your brother-"

"Shut up," said Su firmly, "don't ruin the moment."

And so Shigawan slowly quieted down, calmed by the closeness the two teens shared. He felt warm, and his stomach did flips. For the first time that day, Shigawan forgot about his mistake and Keitaro's predicament, and focused solely on the young girl next to him. He was happy.

* * *

Shinobu silently got up and tiptoed out of Naru's room, careful to remove any sign that she had been there. She had silently witnessed the exchange in Keitaro's room, and was absolutely bursting with pride and envy at Kaolla's accomplishment.

"Good job, Su-chan!" She rejoiced over and over in her head after seeing Shigawan's obvious blush. "I wish I had your luck…"

Reentering the lounge, Shinobu found Naru and Kitsune chatting amiably. Glancing at Shinobu's wildly grinning face and small blush, Kitsune asked,

"Is he awake yet?"

"Who? Oh…I mean-no not yet…"

"What's got you so worked up Shinobu? I heard quite a little riot going on up stairs…anything we should know about?"

"Yeah, and have you seen Shigawan around?" Naru swiftly interjected. "Since he knocked Keitaro out, its only fitting that he take on the caretakers chores indefinitely…"

"Y-yeah, he's with Su in Keitaro's room…"

"Wha-at!" vented Naru, quickly standing and rushing to the stairs. "Sweet Kaolla is alone with that perv? If he's touched one hair on her head, I'll-"

Naru stopped ranting to find that she was being anchored back by Shinobu, her hand held in a death grip. Upon seeing what she was doing, Shinobu quickly dropped Naru's hand and lowered her gaze.

"I'm sorry, Naru-sempai. B-but please don't go up there…"

"Why! So he can ravenge Su's innocent body!" Naru glared at Shinobu's rapidly shrinking form. "Don't you know better Shinobu? You can't trust men!"

"I-I'm sorry Naru-sempai…" Shinobu's big blue eyes quickly began to leak as she ran sobbing to the kitchen, leaving a trail of tears behind.

"That was a little harsh, Naru…" Kitsune whispered, staring at Shinobu's retreating form.

Naru only humphed as she jumped the steps to get to Keitaro's room, calling back, "She needs to learn, she has to stop being so trusting!"

Naru soon found herself at Keitaro's door, and upon trying it, that it was locked. Naru's face set in stone as she fearfully imagined all the things that that kid could be doing to Su behind that locked door. Without so much as a thought beyond that, Naru brought her fist back, and slammed it into the door.

The door caved at the first hit, raising a small cloud of dust as it hit the floor. At the center of the room, Kaolla sat with a fearful expression on her face, while Shigawan, who was currently curled up next to her, had a matching expression. Their faces were still in close proximity.

Naru saw red.

Rushing forward, Naru brought her fist to Shigawan's face in record time.

_Naru Punch_

Neither teen had a chance to react before Shigawan was launched through a wall and out into the horizon. Dropping to her knees beside Su, Naru began checking her over for any sign that she had been violated, muttering things about perverted men.

Kaolla had yet to say anything. She stared blankly at the whole in the wall, which, surprisingly, just missed the slumbering Keitaro's form. Her mouth floundering helplessly, Su was finally able to breath out,

"Why?"

Standing slowly, Su turned and looked at Naru. Glaring, Su did the first thing that came to mind.

She slapped Naru.

Turning from the shocked red head, Kaolla rushed to her room, before returning with a small tracking device and rushing out the door of the inn.

Naru stared in disbelief, unmoved from the position on her knees. Why was she punished for preventing such and obviously perverted act?

Naru was so engrossed in her thoughts, she hardly noticed Kitsune stroll in, take one look at the hole in the wall, the red mark on Naru's face, and the retreating form of Kaolla, before turning and retracing her steps to the kitchen, murmuring something about having to get started on the party.

Keitaro slept peacefully through it all.

* * *

_From the Desk of Tyr'll_

Well that chapter was a little…weird. I didn't really care for it, butI neededit to be in the story... I know Su seemed OOC once again, but, again,it was necessary.

Poor Shigawan, he just can't seem to get a break, can he? Bet you can't wait to see how Kaolla gets even with Naru. If you have any ideas, they would be greatly appreciated. I would like some help on that aspect. I'm not really good at torturing the characters…

Oh, and the Tacita will be appearing in later chapters, but she's hiding for now…

Any other questions, you can review and ask. I'll get back to you…eventually!

Later!


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